This invention relates to electronic distance measuring equipment linked together for creating a sum total of contents located in a gaming/poker chip tray or case and more particularly, a method for a Casino or Gaming Establishment to monitor play results live or in “real-time” or quickly and precisely inventory Gaming chips.
A variety of technologies are available for remotely determining the distance from a source to an object. Generally, these approaches involve emitting some type of energy toward the object (such as a laser) and receiving a portion of the energy reflected back from the object or a reflective target (such as a corner-curb prism) placed at the object.
The distance from the source to the object is determined by one of several approaches. This device uses one of those technologies as a component connected to a gaming/poker chip holding tray or a gaming table where a tray can be easily removed and is programmed to create a sum total of the amount of “chips” located in the tray. The trays can be removed from the table leaving the equipment remaining built into the gaming table as well.
There is a need for such a device, that is accurate in the measured distance, requires no reflective target up to intermediate distances, is extremely accurate, has a low power requirement, and is not dangerous to the operator or other persons in the area where such device would be used. This present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages as outlined below.